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At Convention 2003, E.J. Gold demonstrated numerous business ventures including working with high-end jewelry, dealing in antiquities, selling art and selling carpets all areas in which he has worked. He related stories and others contributed to reveal that the interaction with the customer was the key.
The talk primarily explores the speaker's approach to business creation, product marketing, and understanding consumer psychology. It delves into the importance of portability, pricing psychology, reverse engineering markets, and product desirability. Additionally, it covers historic anecdotes about business ventures, including the Pet Rock phenomenon, and underlines the necessity of understanding sales strategies. The discussion also touches on jewelry-making, numismatics (collectible coins), and the importance of packaging and storytelling in sales.
The speaker elaborates on their process of imagining and establishing businesses, focusing on portability and affordability. They emphasize analyzing market demand, calculating costs, and using creative marketing strategies such as price manipulation (e.g., $39.95 vs. $40 psychology). The importance of storytelling in product sales is highlighted, as seen in examples like historic coins, jewelry, and thematic restaurants.
Anecdotes include historical business cases such as the Pet Rock, marketing antique coins as wearable jewelry, and early perfume sales with innovative packaging. The role of packaging in consumer behavior is extensively discussed, demonstrating how an item’s perceived value increases with an attractive presentation.
The talk further explores sales psychology, stressing the importance of making a transaction enjoyable and embedding meaning (such as connection to history or artistic craftsmanship) into products. The speaker discusses the challenge of selling luxury goods, describing their experience selling handcrafted jewelry, original artworks, and collectibles.
The discussion includes the impact of school-origin artifacts and how they carry a transformational energy that makes them unique sales items. In closing, there is a mention of high-end jewelry sales in Las Vegas, highlighting the necessity of storytelling, showmanship, and understanding consumer desires for effective sales.
"A cluttered artisan’s workbench with antique coins, intricate jewelry settings, and scattered miniature paintings. A tall bookshelf behind the desk is filled with aged business ledgers, sculpting tools, and framed exotic currency. A warm, moody lighting casts soft shadows, emphasizing the luxurious yet handcrafted nature of the objects. A faint nostalgic haze in the background hints at past successful ventures, as if history lingers in the workshop."